FWT Quick Facts

FWT Quick Facts

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• Requirements

  • Total needed: One FWT for each year of full-time undergraduate matriculation.
  • Hours: A total of 210 hours are required to complete FWT. At least 140 hours must be earned through no more than three approved positions; up to 70 may be earned through supplementary hours.
  • Registration: All jobs must be registered with the FWT and Career Development Office through WorkLink no later than November 16, 2012. Academic advisors must approve registration forms online by November 30, 2012.
  • Conditional registration: Conditionally approved registrations must be completed within a week of notification or they will be considered late.
  • Late registration: Late registrations (not additional jobs added to an on-time registration) will not be accepted after January 14, 2013. Students not registered by this time will receive a failing grade. Students registering late after the end of fall term, but before January 12, will be eligible to receive a Marginal Pass only.
  • Employer's evaluation: Employers' evaluations are completed online through the WorkLink system and are due February 22, 2013.
  • Essay: a 750- to 1,250-word (3–5 pages) essay is due February 22, 2013.

• Deadlines

  Please see the attached schedule of important dates.

• Independent Study

  Independent Study proposals are due October 26, 2012—no exceptions or extensions. Students may do only one full Independent Study or two half Independent Studies during their four years at Bennington. Not all students are eligible to do an Independent Study, and to be considered:

  • You must have completed at least four terms, be in good academic standing, and receive the approval of faculty in your area of concentration.
  • You must have an academic sponsor, who may or may not be a faculty member (non-faculty members must submit a CV and be approved).
  • Your proposal must be signed by your advisor, the sponsor of your Independent Study, and a member of the faculty in the discipline of your proposed study if not already represented.
  • Contact the FWT and Career Development Office to request an Independent Study registration form.

• Special Proposals

  Special proposals are required for the following and are due with your FWT registration.

  • FWT jobs working for a family member or friend. (This is strongly discouraged.)
  • Jobs unrelated to your educational goals.
  • Working the same job as a previous year.
  • Working for recent alumni.
  • Taking a training course.
  • Jobs in which your supervisor is off site.

• Registration Deadline Extensions

  • Extensions must be applied for no later than November 9, 2012.
  • Extensions will be considered only if needed for circumstances beyond your control.
  • Submitting an application does not guarantee an extension.
  • Applications are available in the document library of the WorkLink system.

• Adding/Changing a Job During FWT

  Additional jobs, if approved by the FWT and Career Development Office, may be added until January 18, 2013. Please note:

  • Only under special circumstances, a registered job may be changed with the permission of the director.
  • You must register all jobs you would like to count toward your primary hours. (Supplementary hours require only a time sheet.)
  • You will be held accountable for every job you register, even if you leave the position. This means that we will need an evaluation or report from your supervisor regarding your leaving the position.

• Evaluation Components

  A rating of Pass, Marginal Pass, or Fail is assessed for each FWT. FWT ratings appear on each student’s academic transcript and can influence academic standing; employer evaluations become part of a student’s cumulative academic record. FWT evaluations are based on:

  • Adherence to deadlines.
  • Employer’s evaluations, including verification that 210 hours were worked.
  • A 750- to 1,250-word (3–5 pages) reflective essay, due February 22, 2013, submitted online in WorkLink.

• Financing FWT

  • You are responsible for securing housing and financing your FWT.
  • No tuition is charged, but financial aid packages cannot be applied to FWT.
  • A limited number of grants are awarded to support FWT experiences; applications are available in the FWT and Career Development Office and are due October 19, 2011.
  • The TELOS Public Action Grant, a new grant opportunity for students interested in public action work, is now available with the same deadline as other grants.

• Summer Field Experiences

  Students may complete a field work experience in the summer if:

  • A student is required to complete a Field Work Term make-up. This counts towards a student’s requirement for the current academic year.
  • A student has applied for and received approval to defer FWT to the summer. This option is only available to students who have completed at least one regular FWT (sophomores and juniors)
  • An employer requires a student to receive college credit in order to be accepted into a summer internship. In this case, the student may register the summer experience as an elective. This does not count toward the requirement for the following academic year. All summer experiences (even electives) are included on a student’s transcript and must be registered by May 10, 2013. Students may not cancel registration for a summer experience and will be held to all the usual FWT requirements. Essays, timesheets, and evaluations for summer field experiences are due August 9, 2013.

• Contact

  The FWT and Career Development Office is open year-round:

  Summer and FWT: 8:30 am–4:00 pm, Monday–Friday
  Fall and spring terms: 9:00 am–5:00 pm, Monday–Friday

  Location: CAPA 16
  Phone: 802-440-4321
  Fax: 802-440-4865
  Email: fwt@bennington.edu